Virtual Doll

“AURA unit … active.”

Zzt … zzt …

“Hello, humanoid user. Please input your personal data for unit registration.”

When I flip a switch on the android unit I found during a routine salvage operation, I never really expect it to be operational, and I certainly never expect it to be … intelligent.

AURA—whose name stands for All-purpose Universal Robotic Android, or so it says—explains that its program is an artificial intelligence “designed for human interaction and service.”

As I get to know AURA and its—her—personality, I discover a surprisingly human presence inside the doll-like body.

I delve deeper into her artificial mind, learning more every day, getting closer and closer to her, until the question becomes:

Who programmed AURA, and for what type of service?